Prevalence of clozapine-induced sialorrhea and its effect on quality of life.

RATIONALE: Clozapine has proven to be superior to other antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia but is under-prescribed due to its potentially severe side effects. Clozapine-induced sialorrhea (CIS) is a frequent and extremely uncomfortable side effect, which remains understudied. OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of diurnal and nocturnal CIS in a sample of patients treated with clozapine, and to evaluate its impact on quality of life. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study of 130 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated with clozapine. The prevalence of CIS was evaluated via specific sialorrhea scales. None of the patients included in the study was receiving a specific treatment for hypersalivation during the study period. Possible associations between sialorrhea and clinical and quality of life variables were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 130 subjects, 120 (92.3%) suffered from CIS. Eighty-one (62.31%) suffered from diurnal CIS, 115 (88.56%) from nocturnal CIS, and 85 (65.38%) suffered from both. Significant positive associations between quality of life and diurnal CIS (B = 0.417; p = 2.1e - 6, R2 = 0.156) and nocturnal CIS (B = 0.411; p = 7.7e - 6, R2 = 0.139) were detected. Thirty per cent of the subjects reported a moderate to severe negative impact of sialorrhea on their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that CIS is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and has an important impact on quality of life in one-third of our sample. Therefore, the inclusion of a systematic evaluation and treatment of CIS in standard clinical practice is highly recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ) under reference NCT04197037.

Porous biodegradable EW62 medical implants resist tumor cell growth.

Magnesium alloys have been widely investigated for biodegradable medical applications. However, the shielding of harmful cells (eg. bacteria or tumorous cells) from immune surveillance may be compounded by the increased porosity of biodegradable materials. We previously demonstrated the improved corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of a novel EW62 (Mg-6%Nd-2%Y-0.5%Zr)) magnesium alloy by rapid solidification followed by extrusion (RS) compared to its conventional counterpart (CC). The present in vitro study evaluated the influence of rapid solidification on cytotoxicity to murine osteosarcoma cells. We found that CC and RS corrosion extracts significantly reduced cell viability over a 24-h exposure period. Cell density was reduced over 48 h following direct contact on both CC and RS surfaces, but was further reduced on the CC surface. The direct presence of cells accelerated corrosion for both materials. The corroded RS material exhibited superior mechanical properties relative to the CC material. The data show that the improved corrosion resistance of the rapidly solidified EW62 alloy (RS) resulted in a relatively reduced cytotoxic effect on tumorous cells. Hence, the tested alloy in the form of a rapidly solidified substance may introduce a good balance between its biodegradation characteristics and cytotoxic effect towards cancerous and normal cells.

Life is three dimensional-as in vitro cancer cultures should be.

For many decades, fundamental cancer research has relied on two-dimensional in vitro cell culture models. However, these provide a poor representation of the complex three-dimensional (3D) architecture of living tissues. The more recent 3D culture systems, which range from ridged scaffolds to semiliquid gels, resemble their natural counterparts more closely. The arrangement of the cells in 3D systems allows better cell-cell interaction and facilitates extracellular matrix secretion, with concomitant effects on gene and protein expression and cellular behavior. Many studies have reported differences between 3D and 2D systems as regards responses to therapeutic agents and pivotal cellular processes such as cell differentiation, morphology, and signaling pathways, demonstrating the importance of 3D culturing for various cancer cell lines.

[Do temporomandibular disorders really exist?].

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) is a collective term embracing a number of clinical problems that involve the muscles of mastication, the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and associated structures or both. This group of disorders has been identified as the chief cause of pain, which is not of dental origin, in the orofacial area, and is defined as a subgroup in the category of musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders impair the quality of life of those suffering from them due to the extent of the pain and the chronic nature of its symptoms. It is known that chronic pain causes the development of psychological disturbances (anxiety, depression, etc.). The most common symptoms of TMD are the pain that usually appears as the result of mandibular activity (speaking or chewing), and is usually located in the masticulatory muscles, in the preauricular area and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Additional common symptoms are: a. restriction in jaw movement; b. asymmetry in jaw movement; c. noises from the joint. Patients suffering from TMD are likely to exhibit additional symptoms: hypertrophy of the muscles of mastication (an adaptive and asymptomatic phenomenon), abnormal occlusar erosion due to nighttime or daytime bruxism, or teeth grinding. Most functional temporomandibular disorders have similar signs and symptoms. As a result, diagnosis of the various disorders presents a serious problem. Functional temporomandibular disorders are often accompanied by mental symptoms such as depression, anxiety and/or somatization on various levels. One of today's accepted methods of classification also refers to the mental aspect and thus enables, for the first time, a suitable scientific comparison of the epidemiological, diagnostic and treatment data in the various studies. This method, initiated by Dworkin and LeResche (1992) is known as Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). The purpose of this method is to classify every subgroup of TMD according to agreed upon, clear and measurable diagnostic criteria, both from the physical (AXIS I) and the mental (AXIS II) aspect. The method includes a scale which grades the extent of severity, damage and limitations caused by the illness, in a manner which now can make scientific comparisons between the various studies and between the population of patients and the general population. Temporomandibular disorders are very common and affect between 30%-50% of the population, and appear to be more prevalent among women than among men. Studies conducted on youth revealed significant relationships between oral parafunctions (especially chewing gum and "jaw playing"), and functional temporomandibular disorders. The significance of this finding is in the need to warn young people of the possible risks of engaging in intensive oral practices. The high prevalence of signs and symptoms among the Israeli population obligates us, in our opinion, to change the physical examination for identification of these disorders, to a routine procedure in all dental clinics in Israel.

Effect of stabilization splint therapy on pain during chewing in patients suffering from myofascial pain.

Masticatory myofascial pain (MFP) condition is a musculoskeletal disorder that compromises the functional capacities of the masticatory system. As such, the incorporation of an intensive chewing test as a discriminatory exercise for the diagnosis of this condition and evaluation of treatment success has considerable potential. Various splint designs have been used successfully, which have posed a question of whether the therapeutic effect of the splint is a placebo or has some other curative properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the stabilization appliance to reduce signs and symptoms in MFP patients and to compare the pain experience during the chewing test between two groups of patients, with and without splints. Myofascial pain patients (n = 37) who reported exacerbation of pain in function participated in the study. Patients perfomed a 9-min chewing test, followed by 9-min rest and marked their pain intensity on a visual analogue scale every 3 min. Of the 37 patients, 21 received a stabilization flat occlusal splint for night use and 16 were equally monitored clinically without a splint. At the end of 8 weeks, a second clinical examination and chewing test were performed. Student's t-test was used to analyse differences between study groups. Analysis of variance and covariance (ancova) with repeated measures was applied to analyse the effect of treatment. Level of pain at baseline prior to the chewing test (P0) was introduced as a co-variant. At baseline both groups showed relatively high scores of pain intensity and did not show any significant differences among the collected variables. At the end of the experiment, the splint group had a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity, in mean muscle sensitivity to palpation and in the pain experience during the chewing test compared with no change in the controls. A stabilization splint has a therapeutic value beyond its placebo effects. Thus, it should be an integral part of the treatment modalities in MFP disorder patients. An intensive chewing test is an effective tool to evaluate the treatment modality efficacy in MFP patients.